Struggling Celtics Road Chalk at Golden State
Coming off a heartbreaking one-point loss to the Lakers on Saturday, Boston (10-8 SU, 10-8 ATS) looks to snap out of its recent funk when it opens a five-game road trip in Oakland. The Warriors (11-9, 10-10) have won three of their last four games but opened as 3-point home underdogs.
Sportsbook Odds Analysis
The Celtics’ recent struggles didn’t prevent oddsmakers from Sportsbook Boston as the road favorite. The Celtics have covered six of their last seven trips to Golden State, although the Warriors are 4-1 ATS in their last five as a home underdog.
Boston News & Notes
The Celtics’ reliance on Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown was painfully obvious in Saturday’s 96-95 loss to the Lakers that dropped the Celts to 2-5 SU in their last seven games. Tatum and Brown combined to hit 25 of their 37 shots for 58 points, but the rest of the Celtics were 15-for-45 from the field for just 37 points. Kemba Walker and Marcus Smart were especially ineffective, missing 16 of their 19 field-goal attempts.
That lack of balance offensively could loom even larger now with Smart expected to miss up to three weeks with a Grade 1 calf strain, especially as Walker remains on a minutes restriction as he continues to work his way back from offseason knee injury.
Golden State News & Notes
The Warriors are coming off one of their best offensive performances of the season, shooting 52.2 percent from the field in a 118-91 rout of the Pistons on Saturday. A couple of days after recording just 21 assists in a blowout loss in Phoenix, Golden State notched 34 assists on 47 field goals en route to scoring 118 points for the third time in its last four home games.
Draymond Green had six of those assists and handled the ball more than usual, although the power forward has yet to see more than 30 minutes of action after missing training camp and the preseason due to COVID-19 and a foot injury.
Prized rookie center James Wiseman will be out of the lineup for at least a week after spraining his wrist. The seven-foot-one Wiseman has seen his playing time reduced lately and has scored more than 15 points just once in his last six games, but his absence might be felt more on the glass. With small forward Marquese Chriss already out for several months, Kelly Oubre Jr. and Stephen Curry are the only active Warriors currently averaging more than five rebounds per game.
Betting Pick: UNDER 224.5
The Celtics have held Golden State to an average of less than 100 points in the last three meetings and should bring a strong defensive effort once again in an effort to snap out of this funk.
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